MOUNT SAVIOUR
MONASTERY VOCATIONS
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" The Church needs your energies,
your ideas, your enthusiasm,
to make the Gospel of Life
penetrate the fabric of society
."
Pope John Paul ll
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Vocations come in all sizes and colors. Even monastic vocations exhibit
considerable variety. If you are not familiar with the latter, you
might search the web
under "monasteries." Some monasteries run schools, colleges,
seminaries and/or serve a parish. Others, like Mt.
Saviour, lead a simple life style with no outside apostolates.
If
you are interested in finding out more about a possible vocation at Mt.
Saviour, we strongly recommend that you visit the monastery for a week
if possible.
Even
if you are not yet sure what form of life you are
being called to, a few days in a monastic setting
may be a big help in getting in touch with yourself.
The monks' simple life-style is centered on Christ
who leads us to the Father through the gift of His
Spirit. With its rural, wooded setting and a pace of
life with its strong moments of the Mass and the chanting of the Divine
Office Mt. Saviour Monastery provides a place of calm and prayer that
is especially conducive to reflection.
MOUNT SAVIOUR
MONASTERY ORA ET LABORA
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" Truly as we
advance in this way of life and
faith, our hearts open wide,
and we run with unspeakable sweetness of love
on the path of God's commendments. "
The
Rule of St. Benedict, Prologue
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Everyone helps out with the chores (washing dishes,
cleaning the monastery and so on) and takes up in
turn the duties connected with the Mass and the Hours:
bell-ringer, reader, and the like. The daily maintenance
of the facilities and grounds of the monastery is
a common responsibility, though one or two monks take
on the special task of servicing the guest houses.
All
such work is secondary to a common life of praying and working
together, and in that context the communal prayer, the chanting of the
Office, that Benedict calls "The work of God," has a special place. So
we space these hours out in a traditional way, rather than grouping or
combining them to allow time for other work (as the more active
monasteries must).
Study and lectio divina are perhaps next in value for us. But the monks
in fact engage in a variety of jobs, developing their own skills and
preferences: take care of the farm and sheep, the orchard, the business
office, maintaining the buildings and vehicles, developing and
cataloguing the library, and so on. We have always had monks who
developed their talents in music and the arts and crafts: painting , ceramics, book-binding. Because of our
openness to guests, monks are often called upon for formal or informal
conferences with individuals or groups of
guests.
MOUNT SAVIOUR
MONASTERY REQUIREMENTS
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"Listen, O my son, to the
precepts of the Master, and incline
the ear of your heart; willingly receive and faithfully fulfill
the admonition of your loving father."
The beginning of
the Prologue to the Rule of St. Benedict
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Vocations are a very individual
affair, so requirements cannot be set out exactly — hence the variation
in time for observers and postulants. But a few general things may be
helpful.
- St, Benedict sets out the first requirement: "The concern must be
whether the novice truly seeks God and whether he shows eagerness for
the Work of God, for obedience and for trials." The Rule of St.
Benedict, ch. 58
- Candidates should be Roman Catholics between 24-45 years of age
though we do make exceptions. A person needs good physical and mental
health and we prefer he has completed college and/or worked long enough
to acquire a certain degree of confidence and self-knowledge.
- Candidates should have no outstanding financial or social
obligations (e.g., to parents, spouses or children).
- It is a misunderstanding to think that a "contemplative" life is
a solitary one. Candidates should be willing and able to live in
community.
- Addiction to alcohol, smoking or drugs is not suitable.
- Candidates should prepare a brief autobiography to be given to
the Prior.
- Dental and medical examinations are required and may include a
psychological evaluation.
MOUNT SAVIOUR
MONASTERY BECOMING A MONK
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" Seeking his workman in a
multitude of people, the Lord
calls out to him and lifts his voice again: Is there anyone
here who yearns for life and desires to see good days . "
Pope
John Paul ll
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The stages in becoming a monk are traditional in Benedictine
communities, with only slight variations in terminology and timing.
Observer
An observer spends a month to six weeks "looking over" the community,
attending the Hours, helping
with the chores and the like. Initally, he stays in
the men's guest house, but in a few days he moves into
the cloister. Usually, one asks for observer status
after having visited the monastery a few times. But
persons coming from a distance may indicate their desire
to be an observer without that.
Postulant
A postulant is someone the monastic community recognizes as a
possible candidate. Postulants live in the community (sit in choir) and
take a fuller part in the community life. The length of postulancy
varies, usually from six to eighteen months.
Novice
Given the mutual agreement of the candidate and the community, the
Church requires a canonical novitiate of one year. The novice wears the
Benedictine scapular, sits in the choir and participates fully in the
community life.
Simple Profession
After completion of the novitiate, the candidate may then make
a simple profession, consisting of three-year vows. He is then a
full-fledged but "junior member" of the community. These temporary vows
may be repeated.
Solemn Profession
To continue as a member of the community, the monk must make a
permanent commitment. "So that, never departing from his guidance,
but perservering in his teaching in the monastery until death, we may
by patience participate in the passion of Christ; that we may deserve
also to be partakers of his kingdom." (Conclusion to the Prologue of
the Rule of St. Benedict)
As the "elders" of the community, the solemnly
professed monks are the voting members of the monastery
and serve as advisors to the prior or abbot.
Since ours is not an "active" monastery, there
is not a great need to have many of the monks ordained as priests. Our
primary vocation is to be monks. We can arrange for priestly studies
and ordination for brothers as the occasion arises.
vocations@msaviour.org